(Toronto) Ontario midwives can now prescribe more medications and administer routine vaccinations, which the provincial government says will reduce the need for additional medical appointments for patients.
Published yesterday at 7:04 p.m.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones has announced the expanded scope for midwives, saying it will allow more people to access convenient care and reduce the need for referrals. other professionals.
Midwives can now perform routine vaccinations against influenza and COVID-19, and administer the Td vaccine, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, and which has been recommended during the third trimester of pregnancy since about five years.
Midwives will also be able to prescribe more medications than before to combat nausea and manage miscarriages, as well as contraceptives for postpartum patients. They will also be able to administer treatment to manage childbirth pain in a hospital setting.
The Ministry of Health says it continues to work with the College of Midwives of Ontario and the Association of Ontario Midwives to explore ways in which midwives’ scope of practice “can be maximized”.
The College and Association welcomed the news, but previously said it would be more helpful to patients and midwives if they were allowed to order and prescribe the full range of tests and medications used in pregnancy care, claiming a list that can quickly become obsolete due to advances in medicine.
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